(ThyBlackMan.com) Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain has announced that he doesn’t appreciate the idea of being labeled an “African American.” During an interview with Bloomberg, Cain said that he prefers to be called an “American,” stating that the word “African” on the front of his racial identity limits him and inaccurately describes who he is.
“I don’t like people trying to label me. African-American is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not some people,” Cain said.
Some have agreed with Cain, stating that there is little reason for most black 
people to feel any connection to the continent of Africa. Gerren Gaynor, a writer for NewsOne.com, is one of those who at least partially supported Cain’s remarks.
“African-Americans/Blacks/Negroes have no true sense of identity,” Gaynor wrote. “If you’re African-American, you’re more than likely far removed from the African continent and culture.”
“Cain couldn’t be more right. Identity is quite arbitrary, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with omitting “African” from our nationality,” Gaynor stated.
Cord Jefferson, an analyst with BET, took issue with Cain’s remarks, referring to his remarks as simply “dumb.”
“Believing that it is somehow inaccurate or unpatriotic for a person to call himself an ‘African-American’ rather than just an ‘American’ is absurd, and this is a question that needs to be put to rest,” Jefferson wrote.
Herman Cain’s remarks about the pitfalls of being called an “African American” remind us of the kind of assimilation expected by those who somehow feel that blackness is a liability. The truth is that our dark skin is reflective of our African roots, and not knowing anything about Africa is no excuse to deny ourselves access to thousands of years of storied and valuable culture. White Supremacy 101 tells us that we can be successful in spite of being black, rather than finding success because we are black.
For some reason, Cain seems to think that by connecting himself with those who enslaved his forefathers, he is somehow attached to the heritage of his blue eyed brothers and sisters. But the reality is that when he denies his genealogical roots, he is disrespecting those who carried the blood that runs through his veins. Personally, I’d be ashamed to have a great grandchild who decided to negate my connection to him simply because he knows nothing of his history. Instead, I would expect him to do the research necessary to learn where he comes from, rather than pretending that he came from someplace else.
When I wrote a column on Your Black World regarding how Herman Cain’s politics might be identifiable to many African Americans who falsely believe that they are liberal, his supporters seemed to think (as communicated in emails I received from one of his representatives) that I was open to the idea of endorsing him.
Let’s be clear: I don’t endorse Herman Cain and I think he’s dangerous for America. There is nothing wrong with being an African American, and by resorting to such shenanigans to appease his Tea Party base, Cain continues to reduce himself to a political cartoon character. He should be smarter than that and run his campaign with a bit more dignity – there is little pride in pretending to be someone else.
Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.
